Trapped Soul

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters nor have I ever claimed to own any of the characters from Labyrinth. Don't sue me please. I really mean no harm I just want to play around with Jareth and Sarah just like every other Bowie obsessed Fangirl.

Chapter 6

"Oh quit sulking." Chided Sarah. She had been trying to clean the cut on the Goblin King's forehead. If Jareth could have seen himself at that moment he would never have believed it. Sarah had him sitting on a low stool in the middle of the bathroom floor in only his robe. However he could not complain too much since Sarah was dressed in a robe as well. The situation could not have been more enticing except for that fact that Sir Didymus stood guard watching that Jareth did not try anything. So all Jareth could do was sit and sulk.

"You know,' Sarah began. "If you had knocked, this wouldn't have happened."

"If I had knocked?!" Jareth stood abruptly. He towered over Sarah and glared at her in outrage.

"Knock! Sarah for the past millennium I have been the only person to ever use this room! What were you doing in here to begin with?" Jareth tried staring her down, but Sarah was not the least bit intimidated. Sarah looked straight into his eyes and said boldly,

" I happened to have been the last two days without a bath. Just because I have to live with goblins does not mean I want to smell like one. Plus I figured there might have been the off chance of me getting back to my world through there."

"I should have figured it was for some stupid reason."

"What bathing?"

"No, your foolish attempts to leave the Labyrinth. Sarah how many times must I tell you that there is no way for you to get back to the human world. At least not without someone taking your place." Jareth scowled at Sarah. "Anyway this is my personal bathroom, you should not even be in here!"

"Funny I was under the impression that this was the only bath in the whole castle."

Jareth was about to contradict her then stopped. Once he thought about it he had to admit she was right. When creating this castle Jareth had not intended other people (aside from goblins) to live there. The anger swiftly left him, and with a huff he sat back down on the stool. Sarah was just putting on the plaster bandage when she pushed on a tender spot.

"Ouch!" said Jareth.

"Oh stop being a baby, you're a Goblin King aren't you? You know you're lucky that Sir Didymus didn't give you a black eye or worse."

Sarah finished with the bandages and handed them to Sir Didymus.

"Could you take these back to where you got them?"

"At once my Lady." Giving Jareth one last glare the small knight trotted away leaving Sarah and Jareth alone.

"You know, none of this would have happened had you told me where you were."

Sarah shrugged.

"I figured you were busy."

'Yeah, supposedly spending time with you.' Thought Jareth bitterly for as long as he existed he would never get over the embarrassment of having that she goblin all over him. He just thanked the stars that there had been no party guests to see.

"Well when I couldn't find you through my crystals I went searching for you." said Jareth. Sarah noted that his voice had taken on a slight tone of fear. "For a while,' he continued 'I was really very wor…" Jareth stopped himself just in time from saying it. Sarah had been listening intently.

"Yes? You were very what?" she inquired, she had a pretty good idea but she wanted to hear it from his own lips. However he looked away from her and stared intently at the floor. Sarah leaned closer to him trying to see his face. All of a sudden Jareth spun around and pulled Sarah down into a strong and desperate hug. Jareth rested his head on her shoulder and squeezed her tightly. Sarah was not sure why but she felt badly for upsetting the king in her arms. She returned his hug and began stroking his hair and trying to comfort him, like she would a lost child. Sarah had to wonder was Jareth really the all powerful, self assured, confident man she had always seen. Or was it only an act?

(OvO)

Behind Sarah's ear Jareth smiled smugly. His plan was working to the letter. He admitted to himself that he had really been afraid for Sarah. But now he had an opportunity to change the way Sarah saw him.

'Let her think I am weak, and that she is in some sort of control. When the time is right I shall show her how strong I truly am, then all will be right. Sarah will come under my control and I may finally have a queen who will also be my slave.' The thought pleased Jareth so much that he could hardly keep from laughing at its simplicity. Jareth decided to test his new identity out. Composing himself once more Jareth said very softly into Sarah's ear.

"I feel much better now, but I feel I still need to calm my nerves." He stopped his squeezing hug and gently released Sarah. She remained on her knees so that their eyes were level. He reached out his hand and softly moved a small strand of hair that had fallen across Sarah's face. He let the back of his hand linger upon her soft cheek. Sarah could once more feel the blood rush to her face. When she looked into his eyes they seemed to drink in the very sight of her. However he moved no closer to her face.

"Sarah, I wonder, would you be inclined too…"

"Fear not my Lady for I have returned…I say, what are you doing there?" Sir Didymus' sudden arrival brought Sarah back to the hear and now. She stood up abruptly and just narrowly missed hitting Jareth's face with her elbow.

"Nothing." Sarah said quickly, Jareth grinned then rolled his eyes. "The King was just asking me if I would, um…?" Sarah paused then looked back at Jareth for an answer.

"I was asking if miss Sarah would like to accompany me on a stroll through the city proper."

"You would?" both Sarah and Didymus asked.

"Yes, I would. Sarah has never seen the city in its natural state."

Sarah had to admit he had a point. The first time she had seen the city she had been running the Labyrinth. The city had been deserted except for the Goblin Army. The second time she passed through the city everything had been standing still and she had not gotten to explore it at all. This was a golden opportunity, to get a tour of the Goblin City from the Goblin King himself. The thought appealed to her. Besides what else did she have to do at the moment?

"That sounds like a fun way to spend the evening." Sarah said abruptly

"It does?" exclaimed Jareth and Sir Didymus. Jareth had not actually expected Sarah to agree to go with him.

'This could work to my advantage though." He thought.

"Well then how about we meet in the Throne room in one hour?" proclaimed the king.

"Does the Lady wish for a chaperon to accompany her on this fine evening?" asked the small knight. Jareth glared furiously at the squirrel-fox He was about to tell him where he could stick his staff when Sarah intervened.

"That's alright, I'm sure that with Jareth there none of the goblins will try to hurt me." Jareth chuckled softly; he knew that Sir Didymus was not worried about goblins. Sarah did have a point though; nothing would hurt her so long as Jareth was around.

"Now that everything is settled I wouldn't mind a little privacy. Unless of course you have reconsidered my offer to wash your back Sarah."

(OvO)

Sir Didymus was shocked by the King's statement, Sarah blushed slightly but she was not offended or shocked. She knew it was just an act to get a reaction out of her. She closed the door leading out of the bathroom and took out her silver key. She now had an opportunity to try it out. She put the key into the lock and turned it, thinking the whole time. 'Bedroom.' When she opened the door nothing happened.

"Sarah everything in the Labyrinth has a name, you have to use the name for the key to work. Your room is called the "White Room"" announced Jareth.

"OK, then do I have to say it aloud or can I just think it?"

"Both ways will work."

Sarah closed the door again then said aloud.

"White Room" this time a seam of light appeared underneath the door. When Sarah opened the door she found the White Room on the other side.

"It really worked" she said triumphantly. She held up the key and looked at it. Jareth's face was not visible.

"Of course it works." stated Jareth angrily "Now if you don't intend to stay will you please go!?" Jareth then gently shoved Sarah and Sir Didymus through the door and slammed it behind them.

"I say that was rather rude" said Didymus.

"Yeah and my clothes were still in there." Sarah pointed out. She was still only dressed in a bathrobe.

(OvO)

"I shall leave you to dress my Lady." Sir Didymus bowed and left the room. Sarah walked over to the wardrobe but found it was empty. She then noticed the bundle on her bed then she remembered that she had left it in the kitchen. The goblins must have brought it back up.

'I wonder if Jareth knew I was trying to escape?' Thought Sarah.

"Escape!" she said aloud. 'How I could I have forgotten!?' she scolded herself silently 'I can't get comfortable in this place I have to leave somehow.' Her mind raced but every time her mind settled on something a sinking fear began to rise in the back of her mind. Her soul was here in the underground, what would happen to her body if she ever went back to the human world? She shivered at the thought. As her mind wandered so too did her eyes. They came to focus on something that had not been in the room before. There had been four blank white tapestries hanging on the wall by her bed. Now there were only three, for one now had a design upon it. It was a silver key on a field that looked like the Labyrinth. In the four corners were figures that looked like her friends. Hoggle was in the bottom right. Ludo was in the Bottom Left with Sir Didymus in the top left. Jareth was in the top right corner. Sarah had become weary of Jareth's image by this point. She knew that he could talk through the key but she really did not want to have to listen to him in her room. She walked over to the tapestry and poked the image of Jareth in the eye. Thankfully nothing happened. Sarah went back over to her bundle on the bed and started to hang everything up. She became aware that the same symbol of the key and labyrinth was now a patch on the back pockets of all her jeans. Something else caught Sarah's eye then, it was glittery and golden and was sitting on her new dressing table. She picked it up; it turned out to be a golden bracelet. It had a small clasp that looked just the right size for the hole at the butt of the silver key. She slipped on the key then put the bracelet on her wrist. She didn't like gifts from Jareth but this just seemed more for practicality then as a gift to win her over, if that was in fact what he was trying to do. She went over to the mirror and gazed into it.

'What came over me back there in the bathroom? Or even back in the privet room that he and I had talked in?' True Sarah had not had much experience with boys, but she also had no interest of gaining any from Jareth.

'I will never fall in love with him!' she vowed silently. Sarah dressed then headed out the door. She still had 50 minutes to kill so she figured she would do a bit more exploring.

(OvO)

Jareth leaned back and relaxed in the hot water. His mind was floating back and forth between flights of fancy. What may be and what he would do in the near future. Jareth had no doubt that he could make Sarah fall head over heels in love with him. There had never been any question about it. The thing that was stopping him from full out courting was her age. Jareth was not blind, Sarah was beautiful, and were she able to grow up some more she would make a very handsome specimen of woman hood. But she was a child in body and to some extent mind. Jareth took a deep breath and pulled his head under the water.

'What am I thinking? What can I do? Will she simply be an eternal companion? Or will I one day give into my baser needs and take her to wife?!'

Coming up for air these thoughts continued to swim through his brain. After agonizing over it for a few more seconds he let the whole issue drop from his mind. Sarah was here now and she was not going anywhere. What would be would be, he would walk with her about the city, drop a witty remark here and there, then deposit her back at the castle. For that night the real work would begin. Jareth cringed at the thought of what had to be done. He had to go out that night and destroy all of the truly dangerous creatures that lived in the Labyrinth. Sarah was safe from them, as were all the other creatures of the underground, but when a human entered it, the Labyrinth went into self-defense mode and released some of the most deadly creatures that the mind could conceive. Jareth would have to dispose of them before another runner appeared to challenge his claim to a changeling child.

Jareth took another cleansing breath and once more tried to make his mind go blank.

"This is going to be a very long night." He said warily to himself.

(OvO)

Sarah paced back and forth in front of a small group of goblins. They followed her movement with their heads like they were watching a spectator sport. It seemed that Sarah had been waiting a while when she began to mutter.

"Jareth, can reorder time, move the stars, and turn the world upside down. But he is 15 minutes late."

Sarah had enjoyed her little wander about the castle. She had stopped to chat a little with the gargoyle outside her window. Learned how to get to rooms that were on the ceiling (you had to test the wall with your foot first to see if it would stick). She had been in a spoon room and a room full of long, spiky and razor sharp weapons (which turned out to be goblin knitting needles). Sarah vowed to ask Jareth about that room later. She had found more then the usual number of broom closets, and had even stumbled upon, what she thought, was an oubliette. When she figured it was about time to head for the throne room, she chose to walk instead of use the key. If her memory served her right the Throne room didn't really have a door. She surprised herself when she found she knew the way. She took routes through the castle that she had never seen before, it was as if she knew the way instinctively. Sarah rolled up her sleeve and looked at the mark on her wrist. The key hung from the bracelet and dangled right on top of the Labyrinth mark.

'Is this what he meant about never getting lost? I guess the key really was a good idea.' She smiled softly then started to jog towards the main stairs.

When Sarah had arrived in the Throne room she figured she had been late, but since Jareth was not there it seemed that was not the case. She had been waiting for almost twenty minutes when the Goblin King finally arrived. However he was not alone, for he was accompanied by a heavily armed and fierce looking group of goblin warriors. Jareth still had the bandage on his forehead and a rather nasty bruise had formed right next to his left eye. He was dressed in his usual finery; he had his leather jacket in his hand.

"Ah Sarah do forgive me, but I had a few minor things to arrange before our little stroll."

"Are they coming with us?" Sarah asked doubtfully pointing at the snarling little goblins.

"Only as far as the Goblin City Gates, then they shall depart." He answered reassuringly. Jareth did not want Sarah to know what he would be doing that night, and he hoped to the Powers That Be that she would not ask. Luckily that was not her next question.

"Do they bite?"

"Um…that one does, try to keep your fingers away from Börgis Khån, his nerves have been a little off ever since he saw the ghost of Gibbergeist. Even though Gibbergeist wasn't even dead. Anyway shall we go?" Jareth gestured to the doorway. Sarah was not quite sure what Jareth was talking about.

'Gibbergeist?' she thought.

However she shrugged then lead the way to the door with Jareth and his heavily armed entourage following close behind.

(OvO)

When Sarah walked out of the main doors of the castle she wondered at how the city could hold so many goblins. The streets were packed with the little (in some cases large) things! When they had been walking for a few minutes they entered, what Sarah assumed, was a sort of open market. It reminded her of a scene out of a Dickens or Sherlock Holmes story. The goblins were shouting out to everyone passing

"Come get your chickens here!" cried out a horse voice.

"Human Charms, you don't like humans then wear a Human Charm!" called out another

"Weeds, lovely weeds, separated from those ugly flowers fresh this morning, brighten up a room." Yelled out a tall goblin behind them.

Sarah noted that even though they were the tallest ones in the whole market (with the odd exception) none of the goblins seemed to care that their King was strolling down the street. They ignored him completely, Sarah as well. Only goblins that worked at the castle in some capacity stood at attention or bowed to Jareth as he passed. Sarah tapped Jareth on the arm and asked him about it.

"Why are the goblins ignoring you? I thought you were their King?"

"The reason they don't stop and stare at me is because they really don't care." He said bluntly. Sarah was more then a little surprised.

"But aren't you their King?"

"Well yes, but only a small population of goblins is in service to me. You see Sarah the rule with goblin politics is that you stay out of them."

"So they govern themselves then?" Sarah asked.

"Yes and no"

"You are really confusing me here please explain." Jareth was quite tickled at the prospect of peaking Sarah's interest in something. It was good for her to learn the ways of the Labyrinth sooner rather then later.

"Well as far as the day to day running of the city, the goblins handle it themselves. However goblins are very lazy so when something must be done, like fixing a road or wall out in the Labyrinth then it is my duty to organize them and set them to the task. It is not a perfect system but it has worked for the past thousand years." Jareth shrugged off any more questions that Sarah tried to pose and continued to point out things of interest. As they walked a she-goblin stopped Jareth in his tracks with a small beckoning hand gesture. He motioned for Sarah to wait then walked over to the goblin lady. She looked up at the king expectantly for a few moments, and then lowered her head in despair. Jareth then did something very unusual. He bent down on one knee so that he was eye to eye with the goblin then placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I am sorry Bögget but you will have to wait a little longer." The little goblin nodded sadly and began to move away from the goblin king. Jareth stood and called after her.

"I have not forgotten. You will have the next one I swear it"

Jareth walked back to Sarah and the Goblin hunting party.

"What was that all about?" asked Sarah. Jareth regarded her for a moment then taking a deep breath he said flatly.

"Sarah do you know where baby goblins come from?" Sarah was taken aback by the question. She was not totally sure of the answer.

"Um…the same place human ones come from?" she answered unsurely.

"Correct" said Jareth. "ALL baby goblins were once human babies."

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Authors Note.

How about that? Bet you didn't see that coming…or maybe you did. Well that last statement raises a lot of questions. I hope Jareth is up to the task of answering them.

As a note Gibbergeist, Börgis Khån, and goblin knitting are not mine. They are out of Brian Froud's book and described by Terry Jones. In "Goblins of the Labyrinth"

I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story. You bring me such joy it makes me want to write faster.

Behind The Scenes Theater

Sarah and Jareth have searched high and low for xXDFXx but they have not been able to find her.

Sarah: Jareth are you sure we looked in every room?

Jareth: Yes, the glass room, the dinning room, all the bedrooms, and broom closets. I believe we can rule out her being in the castle.

Sarah looked over Jareth's shoulder at a door that read. "Keep out under pain of extreme pain!"

Sarah: I don't know about you but that looks like a place that I would hide.

Jareth turned around and looked at the door.

Jareth: The flush room of course!

Jareth and Sarah burst through the door. They discover xXDFXx sitting on the floor with a pen in one hand and notebook in the other.

xXDFXx: thought I had forgotten you two eh? Don't worry I'm back now and I will be sure to put you into lost of romantically odd situations.

Jareth and Sarah both make a grab for her but DF manages to jump over their heads and pulls the chain by the door, flushing the two down.

In the boiler room

Sarah: I see now why that room is off limits.

Jareth is silent.

Sarah: we shall never speak of this again.